The staff of the SCDC is dedicated to assisting students in all aspects of their career development

Full Time

Wendy Heyman - Arts and Science Coordinator

Wendy has served in this role since 2000. She has been affiliated with Weissman's School of Arts & Sciences since the 1970s, helping students with career counseling, choosing a major and creating their own--the Ad Hoc. Her educational background includes a BA in English from the
University of Maryland, an MA in College Counseling from Hunter College and a PhD in Counseling Psychology from New York University where she did research on learning disabilities.

Zay La fleur John - Job Developer

Zay La fleur John joined SCDC in February 2013 as member of the Employer Relations team. Prior to SCDC, Zay worked in various areas in higher education including academic. Her professional interests include improving education access and career success for first-generation college students. She is currently a Mentor for New York Needs You and a BYAN Board Member. Zay earned her B.A. in Government from John Jay College and her MPA in Policy Analysis and Evaluation from Baruch.

Michael Kalish – Internship Coordinator/OCR Manager

Michael joined the staff of the SCDC in May 2013 and manages the Internship Program. His student career counseling experience includes work with Teachers College, Columbia University and Long Island University. Michael has worked with diverse populations in various settings throughout his career including college students, middle/high school students, autistic children and individuals with Alzheimer's disease and Dementia. His educational background includes an M.S. in School Counseling from NYIT and a B.A. in Psychology from Plattsburgh State University (SUNY).

Alena Lygate – Career Counselor

Alena joined the SCDC in July of 2014 as a member of the counseling team. Alena’s previous experience includes personal counseling with college students, and a background in the finance industry. Her approach to career counseling is optimistic and holistic, considering each student’s unique situation, strengths, and interests in order to help them make thoughtful decisions and achieve their highest potential. Alena is a licensed social worker and completed her MSW at New York University. She also holds a BS from Rutgers University.

Ellen Stein - Acting Director

Dr. Ellen Adelman Stein is the Acting Director of the Starr Career Development Center, where she has worked for the last 20+ years. While at the SCDC, she founded the Peers for Careers Program, initiatied the Starr Subs Program and served as the coordinator of the Center's Career Development and Counseling initiatives. Previously, she has worked in college counseling, hospital, and cotrporate settings. Dr. Stein earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Rochester, her M.A. and Ed.M. in psychological counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Fordham University. Dr. Stein is a licensed Mental Health Counselor with a special interest in multicultural career counseling.

Gerald Tang – Marketing and Communications Manager

Gerald joined SCDC in January 2015. Prior to Baruch, Gerald worked in the career services offices at Columbia University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and SUNY Binghamton. In addition to higher education, he also worked in the corporate, government and nonprofit sectors. As a Hong Kong native, Gerald received a BA in Human Development at SUNY Binghamton and a MA in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is also active member of EACE and NACE.

Ingrid joined the SCDC in August 1998. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Fordham University and holds a Masters degree in Counseling from New York University. She is a licensed Mental Health Counselor. In addition to career services, she has also worked in student activities. Ingrid has years of experience in the corporate sector and has held positions in Human Resources and Telecommunication Sales.

Adia Tucker, LMHC – Assistant Director

Adia joined SCDC full-time in February 2013 as an Assistant Director/Career Counselor and has managed the Peers for Careers Program since January 2014. Prior to assuming her current role, she began her work with Baruch students during her graduate internship at SCDC in 2011-2012, providing career counseling, assessment, workshops, and supervision of Peer counselors . Before transitioning to counseling and higher education, Adia held positions in finance and publishing. Adia possesses a B.A. in Literature and an M.S.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling.

Part Time

Kara Becker - Career Counselor

Kara is an adjunct career counselor at Baruch College and enjoys helping students of all majors towards meaningful careers. She has experience as a career counselor and career development course instructor at other universities in the NYC area as well as in human resources and media marketing. She holds an MA in Organizational Psychology with extensive coursework in Counseling from Teacher’s College, Columbia University.

Marietta Bottero - Financial Leadership Program Manager

Marietta spent over 20 years on Wall Street as VP/Sr. Human Resources Business Partner supporting Investment Banking/Equity Products globally at BMO Capital Markets. She worked closely in the deployment of human resources strategies to meet business objectives and the development of sound and progressive organizational initiatives focused on optimizing human capital. During this time she was also a champion and facilitator to the Starr Career Development Center Financial Leadership Program and served on various panels at Baruch College Graduate Center. Marietta attended Sacred Heart College and completed the HR program with the University of Toronto.

Tina Coco - Pre-law Advisor

Tina joined the staff in November 2011. She is a cum laude graduate of St. John's University and St. John's School of Law. After working for several years as a Staff Attorney for both the NYC Bar and CT Corporation System, she earned a certificate in Adult Career Planning & Development from New York University. Tina served as the Assistant Director of the Career Development Office at Pace University School of Law for over 6 years. She works part-time during the semester counseling students interested in attending law school.

Jennifer Rodgers - Alumni Coordinator

Jennifer is a part-time Career Counselor and the Alumni Coordinator with Baruch College's Starr Career Development Center (SCDC). Her career counseling experience includes work with the SCDC, The Career Center at Seton Hall University and the Zicklin School of Business' Graduate Career Management Center. Prior to counseling, Jennifer worked in the human resources profession with various organizations. Jennifer possesses an M.S.Ed. from Fordham University and B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany.

Administrative

Eileen Graciano - Budget Analyst

Since January 2014 Eileen has been working part time monitoring the SCDC budget and handling the day to day accounting functions. She joined us after retiring from a career in accounting within the travel industry. She holds a B.A. in Accounting from Lehman College.